Before you start getting touchy felings it is a boy

Taichi Saotome (早乙女太一, Saotome Taichi)(b. 24 September 1991) is a Japanese film and stage actor best known for playing beautiful young men and women.

His father is the head of the gekidan sujaku theatre troupe, and Saotome grew up within the troupe. Identified as having a natural talent as an onnagata (female impersonator), he has been trained in that field, and performs in female roles onstage, though outside of the Kabuki realm, in which the term onnagata is most commonly applied.

He has acted in two films by director Takeshi Kitano. In 2003, in Zatoichi, he portrayed the child Seitaro who, when older, disguised himself as a geisha (played by Daigorō Tachibana). Though in a different troupe from Tachibana, the two have frequently practiced and performed together. Saotome was also in Kitano's 2005 film, Takeshis', in which he was credited as himself, playing a young female impersonator and dancer.

Saotome also plays young male roles, particularly those with a bishōnen aesthetic, i.e. graceful, beautiful young men. In 2005, he played the role of Mori Ranmaru in a National Museum event called "Sengoku Fantasy", and on New Year's 2007, he played a young Horibe Yasubee in the NHK New Year's jidaigeki play.

Though he has not appeared in many films, Saotome has a powerful fan following, and his official fan club was established in 2006. His appearance on the variety show D no Gekijō in late January 2007 was one of a number of his events which have generated an overwhelming fan response. It was arranged that he would reprise the same performance, a dance in a flower-decorated kimono, at the Taishōkan, soon afterwards. The performance was sold out the next day. Many of his fellow performers from D no Gekijō and other events are said to have become fans of his as well, and make time in their busy schedules to attend his performances.

(taken from Wikipedia.org)

Tachi Saotome Gallery

Official Site1

Official Site2

Gallery

"Miss ko2 (Project ko2),"　1997 (c) 1997 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.(Photo courtesy of Kaikai Kiki Co.)

Artist Takashi Murakami is a litany of contradictions -- trained in classical art, he made his name through otaku pop culture; a fashion icon who rarely wears anything other than scruffy jeans and T-shirts; his work can be seen on cheap trinkets and 500,000 yen handbags.

It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, to hear he disputes claims that he is contemporary Japan's most famous artist around the world.

"I'm often said to have succeeded globally, but I don't think I have succeeded on the world stage, just in the United States, parts of Western Europe and among people in the art world in a few countries. Some in the Japanese art world are often critical of me and it's my feeling that you can't quite say that I have succeeded globally," he told the Mainichi Daily News in an exclusive e-mail interview.

Despite the humble self-opinion, the 45-year-old artist has shaken the foundations of the traditional art world with his blending of high and low art through the mixture of traditional Japanese techniques, such as those seen in ukiyo-e, and modern pop culture, like anime and manga.

Murakami is said to feel otaku culture is more representative of modern Japanese life. This led to the development of the Superflat style, which is characterized by flat planes of color with no artistic perspective.

And he has a keen business sense rarely seen among artists, with his efforts directed not just toward his own success, but also that of young talents in both Japan and the United States.

Murakami uses Kaikai Kiki, the company he found in the Saitama Prefecture satellite town of Asuka, to produce art and manage such artists. Murakami has frequently stated he was inspired by Bill Gates and is known for running a tight ship with a strong emphasis on high quality, speedy production without incurring unnecessary cost.

Twice a year, Kaikai Kiki also hosts Geisai, an ever-growing event where artists can rent booths to display their works. It serves as the major method Murakami goes about promoting Japanese artists. He says Japanese art has much to offer the world.

Takashi Murakami speaks in Tokyo about his "(C) Murakami" exhibition opening in L.A. in October. (Photo by Kurage Kikuchi. Photo courtesy of Kaikai Kiki Co.)

"The utter annihilation of Japan's hierarchical social structure in the postwar period saw the creation of many works that could be made on a low budget. After that, manga, anime, even video games all absolutely had to be made at low cost," Murakami said. "Many stories dealt with themes like courage and peace. Having lost the war to the United States there was also a 'loser's logic' at work that saw many moralistic stories appear in a tough social environment, there were many works that seriously questioned what humanity is really all about. I think many countries flinching at American imperialism would find Japanese works attractive."

Murakami is poised to bring more Japanese art to the world with the Oct. 29 opening of "(C) Murakami" at the Geffen Contemporary in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles."(C) Murakami" will be broken into three distinct sections.

Installation, the first section, takes its inspiration from Tokyo's Comike manga exhibitions and is filled with the pop art figure sculptures that are arguably his most representative works.

The second section, Louis Vuitton Collaboration, features the bags and accessories Murakami famously designed upon request by Marc Jacobs for the French luxury label, as well as items made specifically for this exhibition.

The final section shows Murakami's paintings and sculptures split into two parts, the first showcasing his work through the 1990s as he established his own artistic identity and developed the Murakami brand, while the latter part focuses on how the artist has expressed himself in the 21st century.

Among the 95 works on display in "(C) Murakami" will be "Buddha Oval," a Hindu-, Buddhist-, and traditional Japan-influenced statue that is Murakami's first work in metal, as well as "Hiropon," "Signboard TAKASHI" and "Project Ko2," the otaku-inspired statue that established a record price for contemporary Japanese art when it sold at auction for 567,500 dollars in 2003 (since surpassed by Murakami's "Tongarikun," which fetched a whopping 1.5 million dollars).

"Oval Buddha," 2007. (c) 2007 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. (Photo by Kurage Kikuchi. Photo courtesy of Kaikai Kiki Co.)

Also featured in the exhibition -- which will travel to New York's Brooklyn Museum, Frankfurt's Museum fur Moderne Kunst and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain following its L.A. season -- will be Murakami's first completely original animation work, "Kaikai & Kiki," which he directed and produced and says will join the Louis Vuitton Collaboration as a highlight of the show.

"I still don't fully understand the Western-style hierarchical social structure. My own stance is always with the common people," Murakami said. "Even if I can understand the framework of an art market where a single work can sell for several hundred million yen, deep in my heart I am still in a whirl of doubts. That's why I can be happy in the knowledge that the anime screening and the Louis Vuitton shop are places with values that common people can comprehend." (By Ryann Connell)

August 7, 2007

http://www.takashimurakami.com/

http://english.kaikaikiki.co.jp/artworks/list/C4/

YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa -- A man overpowered a police officer who photographed up the skirt of his daughter at a video game archade here, police said.

Hideki Ueno, 29, an officer at Kamakura Police Station, is accused of violating a prefectural ordinance prohibiting people from creating a nuisance. He admitted to the allegations during questioning.

Kanagawa Prefectural Police are poised to take punitive measures against Ueno after they finish their investigation into the case.

Ueno strapped his mobile phone equipped with a camera to one of his shoes to photograph up the skirt of a 9-year-old girl at a video game arcade in Yokosuka at about 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, police said.

The girl's 38-year-old father overpowered Ueno and handed him over to police officers. (Mainichi)

Click here for the original Japanese story

July 18, 2007

when stationed in other country it is nice to see that american soldiers treat the locals nicely

YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa -- A 19-year-old U.S. sailor has been arrested for stabbing a teenage girl and a woman after the girl rejected his advances, police said.

The sailor at the U.S. Navy Yokosuka base, whose name is being withheld under the Juvenile Law, is accused of attempted murder.

The suspect has told investigators that he stabbed the 16-year-old girl after she rejected his advances and attacked the 26-year-old woman because she screamed.

At about 8:25 a.m. on Thursday, the sailor stabbed the two in the apartment of another U.S. sailor who is a friend of the girl's in Yokosuka, investigators said. The girl was slightly injured while the woman suffered serious wounds.

The suspect fled on a train but police officers found him in the restroom of a department store about six kilometers away from the scene at about 10:30 a.m. He had got acquainted with the victims about a week earlier near the base. (Mainichi)

original article:http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070706p2a00m0na002000c.html

Friday 25-08-2006
After work we went to a restaurant Called Toriume near Seishinchuuou for Sasahara-san's farewell Party. As usual the diner started with raw fish so i declined, after that there was more meat in the menu ^__^, we stayed till about 21:30 then we (Sasahara san, Uchida san, Shibata san and me) went to the bar on top of Oriental Hotel we stayed too long and missed our train to Sannomiya, so we took the one to Myodani and from there me and Uchida took a taxi to shinnagata and then to my place.

Saturday 26-08-2006
Got up early watched some Anime, did some washing, Watanabe sensei called that she could give lesson because personal circumstances so i ate at stelar maris bistro and went to the sports center Early looked for some tank models for a friend in Holland, after that went home, changed clothes and went to Polodog, Very busy met a Dutch guy i had not seen in a while, we talked and then also Ian came we talked some and he invited me to a closing summer party in Suma, so i said OK. Around 11 i wanted to go to a rock bar which was called Iggy Pop, but when i came there it was already closed???? So i went to the Toycafe, drank a few and went home.

Friday 7 2006

After work bought some gifts for my neighbours and tennants, because i have to apolagize to them for the grief i caused when my appartment was on fire. Watched King Kong the movie great effects but it did not do it for me. fast forwarded it.

Saturday 8 2006

Well getting up so early with nothing to do i walked around in Sannomiya, when seiden/tsutaya i watched on a screen they were showing a russian vampire movie Nochnoi Dozor.　i liked it, it had a matrix flavor to it  and some interesting ideas. Then i went to shin-kobe to apolgize to the neigbours together with the appartment owner. After that i went to pick op my bike near the hatber which the JR workers confiscated because it was standing to close to the station on my way back i found grinders a hamburger restaurant from the bay area i never heard of it, but it was good. Went home, did some washing at the 24H washing room. stayed a while at the 80`s bar then watched Million dollar baby was not a bad movie. i did not know that the dutch female kickboxer Lucia Rijker played a role in this movie.

Sunday 9 2006

Went to Osaka but was to early walked around DenDen town with most of the shops closed. Had to wait until 12:30 until the miniature shop was open, bought some replacements for my burned things, then went back to sannomiya, watched Sumo in a bar then sat in a park near shin-kobe and read a little then went into sannomiya